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The filmmaker, John Waters, best known for his cult films, including Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, and Cecil B. DeMented discusses his latest book Carsick, which will be released in paperback in May. In conversation with Matthew Love (Time Out New York, Rolling Stone).

"Word for Word Author" is an outdoor reading series that features bestselling authors, celebrity writers, and expert-panelists sharing anecdotes, answering questions from the audience, and signing copies of their latest books.

The Bryant Park Reading Room located on the 42nd Street side of the park - under the trees - between the back of the NYPL on 5th Avenue & 6th Avenue. Look for the burgundy and white umbrellas.

In case of rain, events are held under a tent at the Reading Room. In case of severe weather, please check bryantpark.org for the indoor location. (wforw2008)… (more)

Following signing at Square Books, event on Ole Miss Campus at 7 p.m. To experience a John Waters movie is to experience the carnivalesque. No other filmmaker can make his audience laugh till their eyes water, cringe in their seats, and potentially throw up — all in the same moment. To watch one of his films is to experience a delicious delirium that makes you realize that he has turned your world and expectations topsy-turvy. Dennis Lim, the Film Society’s Director of Programming at the Lincoln Center, says it best when he observes that John Waters is “a lifelong provocateur and by now a national treasure. John Waters is a singular, even prophetic figure within not only American cinema but also the broader landscape of American popular culture. From his early underground sensations to his subversive work within the mainstream, no filmmaker has done as much to blur and challenge the distinctions between high and low culture, and between good and bad taste.” We are excited to welcome John Waters to our campus. This student-inspired event was made possible by generous support from the University Lecture Series, numerous university entities, and private donations. Tickets will be free and available from the UM Box Office by mid February. -Sarah Isom Center for Women and Gender Studies

Book Description

A cross-country hitchhiking journey with America’s most beloved weirdo

John Waters is putting his life on the line. Armed with wit, a pencil-thin mustache, and a cardboard sign that reads “I’m Not Psycho,” he hitchhikes across America from Baltimore to San Francisco, braving lonely roads and treacherous drivers. But who should we be more worried about, the delicate film director with genteel manners or the unsuspecting travelers transporting the Pope of Trash? Before he leaves for this bizarre adventure, Waters fantasizes about the best and worst possible scenarios: a friendly drug dealer hands over piles of cash to finance films with no questions asked, a demolition-derby driver makes a filthy sexual request in the middle of a race, a gun-toting drunk terrorizes and holds him hostage, and a Kansas vice squad entraps and throws him in jail. So what really happens when this cult legend sticks out his thumb and faces the open road? His real-life rides include a gentle eighty-one-year-old farmer who is convinced Waters is a hobo, an indie band on tour, and the perverse filmmaker’s unexpected hero: a young, sandy-haired Republican in a Corvette. Laced with subversive humor and warm intelligence, Carsick is an unforgettable vacation with a wickedly funny companion—and a celebration of America’s weird, astonishing, and generous citizenry. About the Author

John Waters is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and visual artist best known for his cult films, including Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, and Cecil B. DeMented. He is also the author of a memoir, Role Models. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Praise for Carsick: John Waters hitchhikes across America… Praise for Carsick

One of New York Magazine's 6 Books to Read This Summer

One of Publishers Weekly's Best Summer Books of 2014

"Fantastical and plush . . . Carsick becomes a portrait not just of America's desolate freeway nodes—though they are brilliantly evoked—but of American fame itself." —Lawrence Osborne, The New York Times Book Review

"In this, the seventh of his books, John Waters—the evil genius of Baltimore, the living, breathing embodiment of camp, the man with the bristling pencil-thin mustache and vocabulary that would make a drill sergeant blush—betrays his deepest and darkest secret. In these pages the apostle of outrage—the actor, writer and director whose contributions to cinematic glory include 'Pink Flamingos,' 'Mondo Trasho,' and 'Hairspray'—reveals himself to be a . . . sentimentalist . . . underlying it all is a highly developed sense of fun, a desire to amuse more than to shock . . . Waters has made a funny engaging and—of course—occasionally outrageous book . . . All in all a cool trip and a delightful book." —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post

Carsick: John Waters hitchhikes across AmericaJohn Waters Armed with wit, a pencil-thin mustache, and a cardboard sign that reads “I’m Not Psycho,” John Waters hitchhikes from Baltimore to San Francisco, braving lonely highways and risky drivers, celebrating America’s weird, surprising, and generous citizenry in his new book Carsick. Described by William Burroughs as “The Pope of Trash,” the legendary filmmaker, actor, and writer is famous for his cult films, including Pink Flamingos, Hairspray, Polyester, Cry Baby, and Serial Mom. Waters is the author of several previous books, including Shock Value, Crackpot, and Role Models, and This Filthy World, his touring one-man show Parkway Central Library 1901 Vine Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 (between 19th and 20th Streets on the Parkway) This is a TICKETED event; $15 General Admission, $7 Students. For more information, please call 215-567-4341, or click here

Join us as we welcome John Waters to the Grand Opera House for a signing of his book, "Role Models." Afterwards, indulge in the strange and neurotic as John performs his intimate and absurd vaudeville act. Hopefully we'll see you there.

Diaspora will discuss Role Models, by John Waters. Available in paperback. http://www.queerbooks.com/book/9780374532864 9780374532864 Please come at least a couple of minutes early (before the store closes at 7 pm), so no one will need to come to the door to let you in. If you are late, though, there’s a doorbell to the left of the front door.

Here, from the incomparable John Waters, is a paean to the power of subversive inspiration that will delight, amuse, enrich, and happily horrify readers everywhere. Role Models is a self-portrait told through intimate profiles of favorite personalities—some famous, some unknown, some criminal, some surprisingly middle-of-the-road. From Esther Martin, owner of the scariest bar in Baltimore, to the American playwright Tennessee Williams; from the atheist leader Madalyn Murray O’Hair to the martyr Saint Catherine of Siena; from the English novelist Denton Welch to the timelessly appealing singer Johnny Mathis—these are the extreme figures who helped the author form his own brand of neurotic happiness. Role Models is a personal invitation into one of the most unique, perverse, and hilarious artistic minds of our time. John Waters is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and visual artist best known for his cult films, including Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, and Cecil B. DeMented. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland. This special event will feature a conversation between John and author Scott Heim. Heim holds degrees from the University of Kansas and Columbia University. He has lived and worked in New York, London, and Cape Cod, and currently makes his home in Boston. He has published three novels, Mysterious Skin, In Awe, and We Disappear as well as a book of poems, Saved from Drowning. In 2005, the film adaptation of Mysterious Skin, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, was released to critical acclaim. (lemontwist)… (more)

In an interview with Ned Martel, Washington Post Style editor and Baltimore native, Waters takes an irreverent and intimate look at the figures who have shaped his avant garde life and pioneering work, the kind of authentically bizarre assortment of folks who frequently appear as characters in his movies. (karenharris)